Video Daily Digest: The Rietzl Respect

Timothy Garner has either been around competitive Magic for a while or he did some serious homework. His deck, white-based aggro with a splash of red, is clearly derivative of the deck that Paul Rietzl and Kai Budde took to the Top 8 ofProTourAmsterdam almost seven years ago, with Rietzl liftingthetrophy after a dominant 9-0 performance in games on Sunday.

But when you get to beat up on scrubs like Brad Nelson in the finals, that feat isn't nearly as impressive.

What is impressive is that, outside of the manabase, these lists are only one card different from each other in the maindeck. I thought for sure that the Ethersworn Canonists, which is easily the card that stands out the most, were a new addition meant to combat things like Ad Nauseam, Snapcaster Mage, and Storm, that didn't exist in Extended back then.

It's a very well-designed deck, which is probably why Garner was able to make so few changes and still put up a solid finish in a different format with seven more years of cards printed. I'm sure there are some more upgrades to be made, perhaps splashing for Lingering Souls over Spectral Procession or one of a thousand different cards, but it's rarely a bad idea to start by standing on the shoulders of giants.

About Ross Merriam

Ross has been playing competitive Magic for over ten years and has been a fixture on the SCG Tour® since 2012. With a highly analytical approach, he stresses playing fundamentally sound Magic with a preference toward proactive strategies. Always ready and willing to teach, his quest to achieve competitive success will help guide your own path to improvement.